One Stranded Human

Chapters

Questions and Answers
Meeting the Mayor
Integration
Examining the Shuttle
The Signal

Questions and Answers

Twilight returned home from running her morning errands. Upon entering, she sees Greg sitting at the table reading one of her books. "What are you reading, Greg?" She asks.

Greg groans as he pushes the book away from him and rests his head on his hands. "The History of Equestrian Politics." He says, causing Twilight to wince.

"I'm sorry, Greg." She says, sympathizing with his pain. "Do you want me to leave so you can concentrate on that?" She asks.

Greg shakes his head. "Nah. I've only read a couple of chapters and I think I understand it already."

Twilight levitates her saddlebag onto the table. "In any case, I got you some lunch." She says, taking out a bag and setting it on a table. "I wasn't a hundred percent sure on your diet, so I got a couple of daisy sandwiches and a small order of hay fries." She continues.

Greg opens the bag and takes out its contents. "That'll work for now." He says, taking a small bite of the sandwich.

Satisfied with her choice in meals for the human, Twilight trots back to the door. "I'll be back after a while, Greg." She says. "I'm going to see if I can get the mayor to come here to talk to you." She finishes, leaving the library once again.

Not long after Greg finishes his lunch, the door opens and in comes Spike. "Hey, Greg." He greets.

Greg looks up from his notes. "Oh, hey Spike. How was your thing with Rarity?" He asked, returning to writing notes.

"Not bad. We ended up acquiring more jewels than she needed, so she'll give us some." He says, hopping onto a chair next to Greg.

"Us?" He asks, looking at the baby dragon. "As in you and Twilight, or...?" He trailed off.

"As in you and me." Spike finishes.

Greg looked worried. "What does she want me to do for her in exchange?" He asks. Spike looked puzzled from the question. "Sorry. You know I'm new here, but I find it odd that she would just give some jewels to someone she doesn't know." Greg explains.

Spike scoffs. "She represents the element of generosity. She doesn't need a reason." He says.

Greg snaps his fingers. "Right, one of the bearers of the... Elements of Harmony?" He asks. Spike nods. Greg shakes his head. "I still find it odd that concepts like harmony and chaos would have physical manifestations." He says.

Spike hops off the table and starts upstairs. "Welcome to Equestria, Greg."

An hour passes before Twilight returns to the library. "I'm back." She says in a frustrated tone. "She agreed to come here, but it won't be until next week." She continued, sitting across from a busy Greg.

"Next week. No problem." He says, continuing taking notes.

"Greg?" She calls. Greg breaks away from his notes. "What are your people like?" She asks.

Greg puts down the quill he was using. "What do you want to know?" He asks.

The possibilities were endless, Twilight thought. She was racing through a series of questions in her mind, deciding which one to begin with. "Since your lunch today, I was wondering what your peoples' diet consisted of." She says.

"I guess we can start with that." He says with a nod, then passes the quill to Twilight. "You might want to get some paper, also." He says with a smile.

Greg knew she wouldn't be satisfied with just asking one question, so they covered a lot of topics: politics, religion, human cultures; you know, the usual stuff. When he told her that his species was omnivorous, she got worried, but he assured her that humans were quick to adapt to new dietary circumstances. One topic she was more nervous about covering was Greg's time as an abductee. He understood her reluctance, as there had been a lot of painful memories as there had been good ones, but it was a topic he wanted to get off his chest and share his experiences with the Ponyville scholar. Thinking about it gave him a chuckle.

"What's funny?" Twilight asks.

"I just think this would make good sci-fi." He says before clearing his throat.

"Uh... before we start with this topic, I'm going to have to get more parchment." She says, setting down her quill and tidying up her notes on Greg thus far. "I'll be right back."

Twilight leaves the library once more. Greg puts his notes into the Equestrian politics book and closes it before standing up. He examines the wall of books, looking for something to read. His attention was fixed on a line of Daring Do books. "Number one: Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone..." he read before plucking it out of the bookcase. He examines the cover. "Okay..." he utters quietly before sitting back down to start reading it.

Greg found it odd that he was able to read their language. It turned out Celestia's translation spell not only gave him the ability to understand their spoken language, but their written language as well. Maybe he can use this to properly diagnose the shuttle's problems. It was lucky for everyone that both Celestia and Luna tucked it away in Canterlot Castle.

The door opens, Twilight is back again. Greg sets the book down and looks over to her. "That was quick." He observed.

"You think twenty minutes is quick?" She asked before seeing her Daring Do book on the table and laughs. "So... what do you think?" She asks, referring to the book.

"I don't know, I'm still on the first chapter." He answers. Twilight organizes the parchment before putting it away, save for a healthy stack for her to start taking notes on his time in space.

"Whenever you're ready, Greg." Twilight says, dipping the quill into the ink bottle.

Greg taps on his chin, figuring out where to begin and thought it'd be a good idea to start with some time before his and Kate's abduction.

"Who's Kate?" Twilight asks, continuing to write down her notes.

"Kate was my girlfriend." He said flatly, closing his eyes and forcing back any tears the painful memory might induce.

Twilight stops writing and lowers her notes. "I'm so sorry, Greg." She said with a remorseful tone. "Do you want to stop for the day?" She asked.

Greg shakes his head. "I'll be fine." He answered with a quiet sigh. "Besides, I really want to get this off my chest."

He continues, detailing his first weeks; how his captors would shuffle roommates every month; the weekly visit to the commons and befriending Stor.

Greg continued talking about his experiences for an hour before the library's front door opens. Rarity enters with her own saddlebag. "Good afternoon, Twilight dear!" She greets. "And to you as well, Greg." She continues.

Greg nods at Rarity and smiles. "Afternoon." He responds. "What brings you here?" He asks.

Rarity glances over at Twilight. "Let me guess..." she opens flatly, "you forgot to tell him."

Twilight's ears flatten, looking over to Greg. "I invited Rarity over to give you a shave and a haircut." She explains. "I hope you don't mind."

Greg waves it off. "Nah." He answers. "I haven't had either in over a year."

Rarity couldn't contain her excitement. "Oh, thank you, Greg!" She lets out before composing herself. "I will do my best to make you look presentable for next week." She continues, letting out a low hum. "If you don't mind, Greg... I'd like to make you some proper clothing as well."

Greg examines the robes his captors gave him. "That would be a good idea." He admits.

Rarity nods. "Yes it would be." She says. "We can't have you meeting everypony without proper attire." She continued before focusing on Twilight. "You'll have to teleport him to the boutique later so I can get started on that."

Rarity levitates her saddlebag onto the floor, opening it up to reveal her grooming instruments, which include various brushes and combs, a pair of scissors, a barber's apron and what appears to be a straight razor. Greg sees this and his eyes widen. Rarity returns his expression with an almost insulted look on her face. "Don't be nervous." She says. "I have plenty of experience with this." She assures him before organizing her tools.

She begins by attaching the apron to Greg and levitates the scissors toward them. "How short do you want me to cut it?" She asks.

"Surprise me." He says. "I'm just glad I'm getting this taken care of."

Rarity begins brushing the knots out of Greg's hair. Each stroke would elicit a quiet groan. She pauses before the next one. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Greg shakes his head. "No. I haven't exactly had any way to groom myself during my captivity, so it's only natural for those knots to pop up." He answers. "Keep going."

Rarity complies, brushing his hair for more than fifteen minutes. She would brush it back to get the longest parts behind his neck. "Are you sure you want this gone?" She asks. "I think a ponytail would look spectacular on you." She suggests.

"Cut it all. I'm used to having short hair."

Rarity obliges, cutting off the impressive length of hair. "I'm going to save this, Greg." She says, setting it on the table behind her before continuing the haircut.

While working on the top, front and sides, she would brush out the remaining knots. Once she was satisfied with the job, she levitates a mirror in front of Greg. "What do you think?"

He examines his hair in the mirror. It had finally been straightened back and trimmed down to a length that allowed him to feel the cool air on his head. He smiles and looks at Rarity. "I love it." He says. "It's perfect."

Rarity's next step would be to shave Greg's beard. She begins by applying some kind of cream on the entirety of the beard, using her magic to lather it in. She examines her work and nods. "I'll let that soak in for a while before I start." She says.

The library's door opens once more, this time Applejack and Apple Bloom walk in. "Howdy Twi." Applejack says. "Rarity." Then she looks over to Greg. "And our hero."

Greg looks over at the Apple sisters. "I didn't think I'd see you two again so soon."

Applejack chuckles. "To be honest, Ah didn't think Ah would either. Like the hair by the way."

Rarity levitates the razor. "I'm sorry to cut your conversation short, Applejack, but I need Greg to be still while I shave his beard."

Greg tilts his head back as Rarity begins on his beard. He could barely feel the razor on his face as it strips away the beard one section at a time.

Apple Bloom examines some of the notes Twilight had taken on Greg. "What's this all about, Twilight?" She asks.

Twilight levitates the notes and reorganizes them. "They're my notes on Greg's life on the alien ship." She answers.

"Fascinating..." Rarity says almost in a disinterested tone, concentrating on the beard.

Applejack harrumphs at Rarity's comment. "As a freed subject, thanks to Greg here, I definitely would find it interestin'." She says. Apple Bloom agrees.

Twilight chuckles slightly. "It has been an interesting story so far, but according to him, he barely scratched the surface."

The Apple sisters share a confused expression. "There's more?" Applejack asks.

Twilight nods. "Yes, but he won't be able to cover anything else until he can examine the shuttle." She says. "Apparently the Princess' translation spell covers written languages as well as spoken. Evidence for that is he was reading a Daring Do novel when I returned."

Rarity finishes shaving the beard and proceeds to clean his face of any shaving cream that was left behind. "There! All done!" She proclaims.

Greg examines his face once more and smiles. "It's so nice to be clean shaven again."

Rarity strikes a prideful smile. "I must say you do clean up nicely." The other ponies in the room look over at him and nod in agreement.

Apple Bloom trots up to Greg and gives him a quick hug. "Ah'm glad to know you're doin' alright."

Greg returns the hug. "Thanks."

Apple Bloom returns to her sister. "Ah'm gonna go find Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and bring 'em over."

Before she could run off, Applejack stops her sister. "Now wouldn't be the best time, Apple Bloom."

"Yeah, we should probably wait until after his meeting with the mayor." Twilight adds.

Meeting the Mayor

The week passes slowly for Greg. He would start the mornings by doing crunches, push-ups and sit-ups. Afterward, he would go to the basement and jog laps.

Twilight and Spike observe the newcomer as he starts his fifth lap. "He needs to get out, Twilight." Spike says quietly with a hint of concern.

"I know, but he wants to meet with the mayor before thinking about it." She reminded him.

The library's front door knocks a few times before it opens. The Ponyville mayor enters casually. "Miss Sparkle?" She calls.

Twilight approaches the mayor and shakes her hoof. "Thank you for coming, Mayor Mare." She says.

"I hope this will be quick, Twilight." She says almost impatiently. "I do have other matters to attend to."

Twilight giggles. "I think you're going to have to put your other appointments on hold." She says, walking to the stairwell going downstairs. "Greg! She's here!" She yells down.

The mayor looked confused, that is until Greg ascends to the main room, then she's shocked.

Greg and Twilight approach the dumbfounded mayor. "Mayor Mare, I'd like to introduce you to Greg Sanders." She says.

Greg extends his hand. Not wanting to be rude, but still unsure about this creature, the mayor places her hoof on his hand. Greg gently wraps his fingers around her hoof and slowly shakes it.

"Thank you for meeting me, ma'am." He says before releasing his grip.

"N-no problem..." The mayor stumbles. "I'm going to guess that this is about citizenship."

Greg rocks his head side to side. "Kind of." He answers. "The reason I wanted to meet you like this is because I don't want to frighten anyone else." He continues. "We both know that fear can lead to anger... and the outcome will not be pleasant."

The mayor nods. "Of course, Mister Sanders. Then I suppose you want me to interview you?"

Greg nods. "If you'd like. Twilight had taken the liberty of jotting down some notes and I wrote down accounts of my time in space."

The mayor's eyes widen. "H-how did you get here?" She asks. "I've been so preoccupied with you being here that I-"

"It's alright, ma'am." Greg interrupts. "Less than two weeks ago, three of your citizens: Applejack, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom were abducted by an alien race. I helped free them and the others who had been abducted."

The mayor adjusts her glasses, unsure if what he was saying was true or not, then looks over to Twilight. "Is this true, Miss Sparkle?"

Twilight nods. "Yes. Do you remember the fireballs in the sky ten days ago?" She asks. The mayor nods. "Those fireballs were in fact part of the alien craft that Greg blew up."

The mayor went from cautious to terrified. "What did you do that for?!" She asks him.

"In my anger, I wanted to send them a message." He says. "You'll read about my experiences in the notes that I'll give you."

Greg leaves the room and enters his makeshift bedroom. Twilight levitates a stack of paper and sets it on the table next to the Mayor.

"Those are my notes on him." She says. "It'll be an interesting read to say the least, but it'll give you a better understanding on who he is. His personal notes will add to this as well."

Now the mayor was curious. Greg reenters the room with his notes, walks over to the table and sets them next to Twilight's. "I don't expect you to like me right away. That's okay."

The mayor examines the paper once again, then looks up to Greg. "Maybe we can have a casual conversation before I read these notes."

Twilight beams. "Excellent!" She yells, clapping her hooves together. "I've been saving something for this occasion!"

Twilight skips into the kitchen area. Greg looks at the mayor with a raised eyebrow. The mayor shrugs. Twilight returns, levitating three glasses and an unlabeled bottle in front of her and sets them down on the table.

"Liquor?" Greg asks flatly. He grabs the bottle, pops the cork off and smells it. "Wine?"

Twilight takes the bottle away from Greg and pours a little bit into the glasses. "Yep. My parents received it from Princess Celestia when I became her protogé." She says, setting the bottle aside. "They sent it to me when I moved to Ponyville."

Greg picks up his glass and smells the wine once again, but it smells different than the cork. "Thank you for sharing." He says, taking a sip. It was not as acidic as he thought it was going to be, but rather sweet. "Is this really wine, or is it punch?"

Twilight chuckles as she takes a sip from it herself, realising her mistake. "This is punch, actually..." She says, putting the cork back on the bottle. "Excuse me."

Twilight once again trots to the kitchen area, this time she was frustrated.

Greg looks over to the mayor, who is drinking the punch in her glass. "I think it's tasty." She says. Greg nods in agreement.

Twilight had been in the kitchen for a while. Could she not find the wine? She trots out of the kitchen and takes a deep breath. "SPIIIIIIKE!!" She yells at the top of her lungs.

An instant later, Spike rushes up to Twilight. "What can I do for you, Twilight?" He asks.

Twilight levitates an empty bottle with a punch label in front of him. "Would you care to explain this?"

Spike laughs nervously. Greg walks over to the two and glares at Twilight. "You're being a bad host right now, Twilight." He observed, then looks over to Spike. "Since when do you drink alcohol?"

At that moment, everyone's eyes widen. "Alcohol?" Twilight asks. "Ponies don't drink alcohol. Its affects on us have been proven to be dangerous." She adds.

Greg scratches the back of his head, glancing back and forth between Twilight and Spike. "I didn't know it was non-alcoholic stuff." He says, lowering his arm. "I do understand your anger though. You did have it for a long time and were hoping to share it when the time was right."

Twilight returns her glare to Spike. "And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Spike fidgets nervously. "It was tasty." He says. Greg facepalms, Twilight facehooves and groans. "I had no idea you were saving it, Twilight." Spike continued.

Twilight groans again. "How long has it been gone?"

Spike whimpers. "About six months..." He admits. "I'm so sorry, Twilight. It had been sitting there forever and I wanted to-"

"It's okay, Spike." Twilight interrupts, then trots to the mayor. "Forgive me, Mayor. I was hoping we could have that wine."

The mayor scoffs. "It's fine, Miss Sparkle. I'm sure we'll make do with the punch."

Happiness returns to Twilight's face. "Then I'll pull out the punch." She says, returning to the kitchen.

When she returns, Twilight is carrying not only the punch, but more appropriate glassware.

After an hour of talking, the mayor, holding her glass in her hooves, raises it to Greg's and tap them together. "I have a feeling you'll get along quite well in Equestria, Greg." She says.

Greg nods. "I hope so. I don't want to spend more time here than I need to."

The mayor chuckles and sets down her glass. "How about tomorrow I hold a speech in town square and introduce you to Ponyville?"

Greg smiles. "If you think it would be the best thing to do, then let's do it."

Integration

It was decided that Greg would be moved to the stage where the Mayor would be speaking from in the middle of the night when every pony else was asleep. Princess Luna escorted him there to make sure he wouldn't be spotted.

The two enter the back of the stage. It wasn't overly big, but big enough. Twilight asked Applejack to bring a small barrel of apples to the location. Flowers weren't the tastiest thing for the human, but they did fend off hunger for a while.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Luna asks, taking two apples from the barrel and passing one to Greg.

"I'll be fine, Your Majesty." He says, taking a small bite from the apple. "I'm sure there's a lot for you to do."

Luna shakes her head. "Not really." She admits. "All the activity happens in the morning under my sister's watch."

Greg raises an eyebrow. "What about..." he says, snapping his fingers, trying to remember the name of that city, "Manehattan?" He finally remembers. Luna nods. "Even Manehattan is dead at night?"

Luna nods. "I wouldn't use that term, but in a sense, yes."

Greg sits down and leans against a support beam. "Well, if you've got nothing to do, then by all means, Your Majesty, stay." He says, taking another bite of the apple.

Luna smiles and lays down across from Greg, looking him in the eye. "Please, call me 'Luna', Greg." She offers. "What do you do for fun?"

Greg bobs his head, thinking of a few things. "I play video games; listen to music; roller coasters are fun too, even though Kate was afraid to go on them..." he says, trailing the latter with a depressed tone, but he shakes that out of his head, "I had more, but I forgot." He continues.

Luna perks up. "I'm sorry to cut this so short, Greg, but it's time for my sister to do her job."

Greg nods. "It's okay." He said understandingly. "If you see her, tell her I'd like to take a look at the shuttle."

Luna nods and takes another apple with her for the trip back to Canterlot. "Enjoy your stay, Greg." She says before flying away.

Seeing her fly away put a smile on Greg's face. The past year was traumatic for him, sure, but moments like this made him wish he could share them back home. Maybe he will, and publish it as sci-fi.

The curtain on the stage slowly opens, the light from the outside shines on Greg's face, waking him up. He looks to the source and sees Twilight. She smiles at him and enters the back.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." She teases.

Greg stands up and stretches, popping some joints in the process. Hearing this made Twilight wince. "It sounds worse than it really is, Twilight, so don't worry."

The purple Unicorn shakes her head. "If you say so." She says. "The mayor will be here shortly." She continues, floating a mug to him. "I brought you some coffee."

Greg takes the coffee and yawns. "I want you to be honest, Twilight. How xenophobic are the ponies here?"

Twilight rolls her eyes. "Well, they were afraid of Zecora for the longest time, but after an incident with a stupid blue flower, they came around. But she was the only one they were afraid of."

Greg nods. "The Poison Joke. I read about that." He says, taking a sip of the coffee.

Twilight nods. "Yes. Since then, they've been more open to strangers. I'm sure they'll like you." She assures him.

A small smile works its way onto Greg's face. "Thanks, Twilight."

The curtain opens once again, this time the mayor enters. "Good morning you two." She greets. "Are you ready, Greg?"

He shakes his head. "No, but let's get the ball rolling."

The mayor returns outside. "Fillies and gentlecolts!" She opens in a rather hammy fashion. "Our world is full of amazing creatures: outside of ponies and our Zebra cousins, there are Minotaurs, Griffons and even the dreaded Changelings," she continues, "but today, I am here to introduce a new species to you."

This was Greg's cue. Twilight takes the coffee away from and he straightens his clothes up. He looks over to Twilight for approval, she nods, but uses her magic to straighten out the more inconspicuous wrinkles... something Rarity might do.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts of Ponyville! Meet Greg Sanders, the Human!" She finalizes.

Greg steps out from the back of the stage. The reception was a mixture of gasps of shock and awe and quiet murmurs. The front row audience consisted of Twilight's friends, he barely knew Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, but was more familiar with AJ and Rarity. He approaches the mayor and shakes her hoof. "Thank you, ma'am." He says before taking the small podium.

Greg examines the microphone in front of him for a second before taking it into his hand. "Thank you..." he begins, glancing to the mayor, then back to the crowd, "everypony." He continues, clearing his throat. "I understand that I must be a bizarre being to look at." He adds, sitting down at the edge of the stage to be almost eye level with everyone else. "Rest assured that I am not here to harm any of you and I do not intend to stay long." He says, getting some disappointed noises from the crowd.

Apple Bloom, along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle approach him. "This is the one who rescued me and mah brother and sister!" Apple Bloom exclaims, eliciting more murmurs among the crowd.

Greg nods. "Yes." He says. "If you will recall nearly two weeks ago, there was a series of fireballs and explosions in the sky." He continues, getting sounds of agreement from the crowd. "That was the aftermath of our escape. If you have questions about what happened, Twilight Sparkle will answer them." He says, standing back up. "Thank you all for the warm reception. To be honest, I was not expecting it. My species is inherently afraid of things we don't understand. I was like that as well... until I was abducted."

A party whistle blows and confetti flies everywhere. "Come on, everypony!" Pinke Pie yells. "Let's party at Sugarcube Corner!"

Greg felt annoyed by the pink party pony's interruption, but that quickly subsided. "Let's go." He says.

Greg stands in a corner with Twilight and the mayor. "See?" Twilight asks, poking her hoof into Greg's side. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Pinkie Pie skips to the three. "This party is for you, Greg! You should join us!" She yells, grabbing him and pulling him away from the others. "Let's dance!"

Greg wasn't much of a dancer back home, that was Kate's department, but he didn't want to disappoint those who accepted him without really knowing him, so he loosens up. Pinkie Pie would be his first partner.

An hour later and nearly twenty partners later, the party was beginning to wind down. Greg rarely ever saw more than two of any of the beings during his captivity, but the diversity in the confectionery alone was amazing and to actually be on an alien world would make scientists back home jealous. Ponyville had been friendlier to him than any city he visited.

There was one last song to be played, it was a slow one and his next partner would be Applejack. "I'm surprised you didn't want to do this sooner." He comments.

AJ blushes. "Well... Ah wasn't exactly sure how to do this-"

Greg lifts her forelegs up, startling her a bit before he places them on his shoulders. Like this, her eyes were level with Greg's chin. "One step at a time." He suggests. The mare nods.

It was mid afternoon at Sugarcube Corner. The party was finished, leaving Greg, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and the Cakes. Greg is sitting on a stool by the display talking to Cup Cake.

"I bet Pinkie's parties drum up a lot of business." He says, taking a bite out of the pie in front of him.

"They sure do." She giggles. "We're lucky to have her here."

Greg takes another bite of the pie. "Thank you for your hospitality, Missus Cake."

She nods. "Oh sure. No problem at all."

Twilight trots up to Greg. "I'm sorry, Greg, but I need to go and run some errands."

Greg smiles. "No problem, Twilight." He says, finishing up his pie. "Now that everyone knows about me, I think I'll take a walk around town."

After helping the Cakes clean up the shop, Greg exits Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie at his side. "That was fun, Pinkie. Thank you."

The pink pony hops in place. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Greg." She says before skipping away. "We'll see ya later!"

"He is not a monster!" A filly yells out.

"I heard he eats baby ponies." Another says.

"Are they talking about me?" Greg thinks to himself as he approaches the source of the conversation. When he gets there, he sees a group of fillies. He recognized Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo right away, but the other two... a light pink filly with a purple and white mane and tail, and the other is mid-gray with a silver mane and tail.

"He does not!" Scootaloo yells.

"Oh yeah?" The pink one says, poking a hoof into Scootaloo. "How do you know?"

Greg facepalms and groans quietly. "Kids are the same everywhere, aren't they?" He thinks to himself before approaching the group. "Because I don't." He says calmly.

The gray one suddenly became nervous. "DT... I think we better, like, leave." She says.

The other one sticks her nose in the air, turns around and the two walk away. "Don't come crying to me when he tries to gobble you up, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" She yells before the two giggle at each other.

Greg walks up to the other three, rubbing the back of his neck. "What the heck was that about?"

Sweetie Belle trots up beside Greg. "Those two are ALWAYS doing that." She says with a crack in her voice.

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." Scootaloo says. "The two rudest fillies in Ponyville." She continues, looking up at Greg. "And we share the same class with them."

Greg shakes his head. "I dealt with the same riffraff back home. My antagonizers were male, so I handled it differently."

Scootaloo has a twisted grin on her face when he said that. "You'd beat 'em up, right?" She asks.

Greg nods. "Yeah... but by doing that, I'd be the one who got into trouble, so I don't recommend it."

Apple Bloom nods. "Yeah, and it's difficult to get their parents to do anything about it."

Greg looks down to the three. "They haven't dealt with me." He says. "Do you know where Diamond Tiara lives?"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders take Greg to Diamond Tiara's house. Greg straightens his clothing and clears his throat before knocking on the door.

"Coming!" A male voice says from the inside.

Apple Bloom looks up at Greg. "That's Filthy Rich, her father."

The front door opens and Filthy Rich looks up at Greg and lets out a surprised yelp. "Who are you?" He asks. Before Greg could speak, he remembered. "You're Greg Sanders. Forgive me."

Greg nods. "And you're Mister Filthy Rich, right?"

Filthy raises a foreleg and the two shake. "What can I do for you?" He asks.

"This is about your daughter." Greg says.

Filthy lets out a frustrated groan. "What did she do this time?"

Greg crosses his arms. "She started spreading rumors about me." He says. "Saying something about me being a monster that eats baby ponies."

Filthy shakes his head. "Not surprising." He says. "Unfortunately she's out with Silver Spoon right now at Celestia knows where." He continues. "Where are you staying? When she comes home, I'll take her over there myself."

Greg smiles. "I'm staying at the Golden Oaks Library."

Filthy nods. "Then that's where I'll take her." He says. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

After the civil exchange, Greg and the girls head to the town square.

"What are you three going to be doing?" Greg asks.

"Were going to try to find our cutie marks." Sweetie Belle answers.

"Yeah! We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after all." Scootaloo chimes in.

Greg raises an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you." He says. "Just try not to get into trouble about it."

Scootaloo laughs. "Too late on that one, Greg." She says. "Hey...!" She continues, looking at her friends. "Maybe we can get-"

"If you're thinking about helping me with the shuttle, no." Greg interrupts. "That thing is beyond me... and to be honest, I don't want to see any of you get hurt for trying to help me." He continues, looking at the forlorn fillies. "I'll tell you what though, if I can get it up and running again, I'll let you three ride in it."

Greg starts walking in another direction. "Where are you going?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"I'm heading back to the library. I don't want to miss Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara." He answers, continuing his walk to the library.

Examining the Shuttle

At Greg's request, Princess Celestia teleports him to a secluded section of the castle where the alien shuttle had been taken.

"How is your transition coming, Greg?" The princess asks.

"Better than I thought it would." He says.

Celestia looked pleased that her subjects accepted this stranger so quickly, but something troubled her. "What are you going to do if you can get this craft working again?" She asks.

Greg cocks his head, trying to figure out how to not sound like a complete jerk. "If I can go, I will. I need to get back to my world."

Celestia nods. "Understandable. I've heard you left quite an impression on the ponies of Ponyville... especially Applejack." She says.

Greg clears his throat, almost choking up. "I know. It has been nice here so far, but I gotta let my friends and family know that I'm still alive. I owe them that."

The two approach the shuttle and look at each other one more time. "Then I will leave you to this." Celestia says, with an almost disappointed tone. "Should you require anything, talk to the guards and they'll help you."

Greg nods, and with that, Celestia leaves so Greg can begin working on the shuttle. He enters it and parks himself in the pilot's seat. He was right about Celestia's translation spell, he can read the labels on the various instruments. He powers up the shuttle and the console display turns on. Good, he can finally make some progress. He runs the diagnostic program to see what may or may not be damaged. The process would take a while, so he pulls out the Daring Do novel from a backpack Twilight had given him.

"Diagnostics complete." A voice said from the shuttle. Greg closes up the book and sets it on the co-pilot's seat. The voice sounded a lot like Command & Conquer's CABAL. "Thrusters fully functional; navigation online; life support online; hull integrity at ninety-eight percent." The voice continued.

"That's good news..." Greg says to himself before going through logs on the shuttle. He did manage to transfer all the logs from the ship, not just navigational records, but one thing caught his attention: 'Project Storm', the folder read. He opens the folder, which contains a lot of video data. "Interesting..." He says before opening the first video, which is displayed on the window.

One of his captors appears onscreen. "This is day one of 'Project Storm'. I, Ziabok, will be recording our findings." He begins. "Should we fail in our mission, the purpose of the project is to bring our allies, the Galtrans, back from the brink of extinction." He continues as Greg began to read more information on the project. "It is a reproductive issue, and... I wish there was an alternative to this, but my superiors insist that we collect genetic samples from races in this star region." He said, getting Greg's attention. "I will record an update when the time is right."

The video ends, leaving Greg upset about his actions and curious about their endeavor. He flips through the videos. The next one he plays is dated a month after his and Kate's abduction.

"Ziabok reporting. It seems the humans from Ceres, which they call 'Earth' could be key players in finding a solution." He says. "While the others have proven to be slightly genetically compatible with the Galtrans, the humans will give us an edge. We need to find another species that is compatible." He continued. Greg was getting more upset. Why haven't they told anyone about this? "On a side note..." the doctor continues, "I feel terrible for the loss of the human male... they never should've taken the Belfrean out of solitary confinement. Words cannot express my sympathies." He finishes, stopping the recording.

Greg was kicking himself for blowing up the ship. The next video he would play would be the day before their breakout.

"We recently picked up three siblings from the Equine world." Ziabok says. "Their compatibility with the Galtrans is nearly identical to the human's, so we will take the older female to him."

Greg pauses the video. "You have got to be kidding me!" He says in a disgusted tone. He closes the video and looks up information on the Galtrans. "Please don't let them be Centaurs..." He says quietly. He finally finds the information he was looking for and opens the file. He takes a look at the image of a Galtran and hangs his head. "Yep... Centaurs..."

A Unicorn guard enters the shuttle and wakes Greg who was passed out on the control system. He lets out a quiet groan before looking back to him.

"How long have I been here?" He slurs.

The guard floats a warm mug to him. "About six hours." He says.

Greg takes the mug. "Thanks." He says, then takes a sip of the coffee in it.

"No problem. Twily tells me you're planning on leaving." He says.

Greg raises an eyebrow. "You're Shining Armor, her brother." He says, extending his hand. "Sorry about that."

Shining chuckles. "Don't worry about it. I'm also the captain of Celestia's royal guard."

"Your parents must be proud." Greg says. "Their son is captain of the guard and their daughter is Celestia's personal student."

Shining rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah. I tell you, it's an amazing experience working for her." He says. "What are you looking at?" He asks, pointing to the monitor.

Greg looks at the monitor and takes a sip of the coffee. "Have you ever heard of a creature called a 'Centaur'?" He asks, looking back at Shining.

He places a hoof under his chin and lets out a low hum. "It sounds familiar, but I can't say for sure. That's Twily's area."

Greg nods. "A Centaur is a creature with the upper body of a human, such as myself, and the lower body of a horse... or pony, such as yourself from hoof to neck." He explains.

Shining nods. "Okay." He says. "Now I know what you're talking about. We thought them to be mythical beings."

Greg chuckles. "That's what my people thought about Pegasi, Unicorns and winged Unicorns."

Shining nods. "Yeah, that's what Twily's letter mentioned." He says. "It's hard to believe that your species doesn't have a means to control the weather." He adds.

Greg waves a hand before returning to the shuttle's controls. "Officially, we don't, but my country's government keeps so many secrets it's hard to really know if we do or not." He says, powering down the shuttle. "In any case, we do have people who monitor weather activity and report their findings to us."

A pink winged Unicorn enters the shuttle and trots up to Shining Armor. "There you are." She says. "Aunt Celestia told me you were going to check up on Greg."

Shining Armor looks at Greg and points a hoof to the new pony. "Greg, this is my fianceé Cadance."

The name rang a bell to Greg. "Cadance." He says, extending his hand. "Twilight told me about you."

She places her hoof on Greg's hand for a shake. "What'd she say?"

Greg chuckles. "She couldn't get past saying you're the best foalsitter in all of Equestria." He said, looking to Shining Armor. "Looks like you've got a real catch."

Cadance clears her throat. "I came here to let you two know that dinner's almost ready."

Shining gives her a quick kiss. "Thanks, we'll be up in a minute."

Cadance gives Greg one last look and then teleports away.

Greg rubs his face and groans. "Yeah... I think I better get out of here." He says, standing up and picking up the coffee mug.

Shining Armor and Greg exit the shuttle and head toward the door to the hallway. "What's the next step?" He asks.

Greg shrugs. "I think the next logical thing to do would be to send out a distress signal."

Shining throws Greg a confused look. "Are you sure you want to do that?" He asks. "You did blow up one of their ships after all." He continues, opening the door to the hallway.

The two enter the hallway, the guards on the other side stiffen up. "Yeah... I'm sure." Greg says. "I probably destroyed their only chance of saving their allies."

"What about your friends and family back home?" Shining asks. "Princess Celestia told me that you wanted to check in with them."

Greg nods. "Yeah." He says somberly. "I'd like to do that, but I also need to explain my actions."

Shining smiles. "I'm impressed. I honestly didn't think you'd do that."

Greg shrugs. "It's the right thing to do." He says. "I'd probably be one of a handful of humans who would though."

Shining Armor and Greg enter the royal dining room. In the middle was probably the largest table Greg had ever seen. At one end was Princess Celestia and the other Princess Luna; Twilight and her friends sat at the entire length of one side, across from Twilight was Cadance. Shining Armor trots up to his fianceé, sits next to her and gives her a quick kiss. Greg walks up to the table and sits two seats away from Shining Armor, across from Rainbow Dash.

"So, Greg," The rainbow-maned Pegasus says, "How's that project of your's comin' along?" She asks.

"I think all of us are curious." Celestia adds.

Greg nods. "Well, I did say that I intended to leave if I could get it running." He says, glancing at all of the ponies in the room. "I changed my mind. Instead, I am going to send out a distress signal to bring another one of their ships."

Everypony but Shining Armor gasps. "W-why would ya do that?" Applejack asks. "They held ya against yer will for a long time. Why would you go back?"

Greg chuckles. "That'd be a good question if I hadn't blown up their ship." He says. "I don't know what will happen, but I feel I should... face the music."

Celestia nods. "If you must, then we all shall respect your wishes." She says.

Everypony but AJ agrees. Greg takes notice when she wipes away a tear to mask her sadness. Greg extends his arm and places his hand on her hoof. "I have to do this, Applejack. I have to let them know what happened."

Greg pulls back his arm when a group of Unicorn servants enter the room with platters. "We'll talk about this later." Celestia says. The servants float the platters on the table and lift off the lids, revealing a delicious looking meal. "For now, dig in."

The Signal

Greg woke up early the next morning and was accompanied by Twilight to the shuttle. Shining Armor and Cadance told the group about their upcoming wedding during dinner. Needless to say...

"I'm so excited for my brother!" She squeals. "I wish you could be there for the wedding."

The news seemed to make the purple Unicorn way too excited for Greg, but he manages to crack a smile anyway. "Me too, Twilight." He says before they enter the shuttle. He asked Celestia to move it outside of the castle, preferably somewhere nopony is likely to see it.

Twilight looks around in amazement. "This is what you brought Applejack and the others back with? I can't believe it can fly."

Greg chuckles as he sits in the pilot's seat. "Not every flying machine needs wings, Twilight." He says, powering up the shuttle. Satisfied that it's still operational, he activates the distress signal.

Twilight trots up beside him. "How long do you suppose it's going to take them to check it out?"

Greg shrugs. "Hard to say." He says. "It could be as short as a few hours, or even as long as a few years. I just want to get this over with."

And with that, the two exit the shuttle and head back to the castle. "Have you spoken to Apple Bloom lately?"

Greg nods. "Yeah. 'Ah can't thank ya enough for dealin' with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon' she says every time I see her." He says, doing his best to imitate Apple Bloom's voice.

Twilight giggles. "Yeah, their parents aren't normally the easiest to deal with, but you caught Diamond Tiara's father at a good time."

"I'm just glad to know that those two stopped spreading those ridiculous rumors." He says. "Them picking on her and her friends about not having a cutie mark is terrible and all, but it's way worse to spread a lie about someone you know nothing about."

Twilight nods. "Yeah. We learned that lesson when we properly met Zecora."

The two approach the castle's side entrance and Greg holds the door open "Thank you, sir." Twilight says, entering the castle.

It had been two months since Greg activated the shuttle's distress signal. He figured that it wouldn't take more than a week, but he was proven wrong. Since then, Greg had taken up some odd jobs: help keep Ponyville's streets clean; help the Apple family harvest both Zap Apples and the normal ones; play mannequin for Rarity; deliver baked goods for the Cakes and so on.

Today was his day off and he spent a good portion of the morning at the park, taking in vitamin K... that is until the air around him gets cooler due to something blotting out the sun. He opens his eyes and sees a large cloud above him, courtesy of Flitter and Cloudchaser.

"We don't want ya to get a sunburn, do we?" Flitter asks.

"That's very considerate of you girls." Greg says, getting up from off the ground.

The two Pegasi had been stalking him since the mayor introduced him. He knew every pony was curious about him, but these two took that curiosity to a creepy level. They land next to him.

"What was it like?" Flitter asks.

Greg raises an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Don't be coy, Greg." Cloudchaser says. "We read about your time in space and how they-"

Greg raises his arms. "Whoa! Hold it right there!" He interrupts. "First off, they were looking for the two species that could save their allies." He continues, lowering one arm. "Second, any time I did, it was be purely consensual." He finishes, lowering his other arm.

"Aww..." The two say in unison.

"Sweet, handsome and a gentleperson." Flitter says with a smile.

"Yeah!" Cloudchaser adds with a giggle. "Not to mention single."

Greg chuckles nervously as he backs away from the two. "Now's not the best time, ladies." He says. "I do have my own problems to take care of."

The two start hovering, maintaining their distance from him. "That's okay." Cloudchaser says. "We'll be here when you get things sorted out." She continues, blowing a kiss to him.

Greg enters the library, closes the door behind and leans against the door. Twilight trots into the main room and sees him wide-eyed. "Are you okay, Greg?" She asks.

Greg takes a couple of deep breaths. "I think I need to get back to Canterlot."

Twilight narrows her eyes. "Flitter and Cloudchaser were bothering you again, weren't they?"

Greg walks over to the table, sits down and rests his face in his hands. "They came onto me this time, Twilight." He groans. "After a year and a half, I am okay with non-humans finding me attractive, but..."

Twilight trots up to him and lays a foreleg on his shoulder. "You miss her."

Greg slowly nods. "I do." He says weakly. "I know there's nothing I can do about it, though."

Twilight nudges him. "Then let's head to Canterlot."

Before he could stand up, they see an aura surrounding Greg. Twilight grabs a hold of him and the two vanish.

They find themselves somewhere else. Greg groans and shakes his head. "We're on one of their vessels." He says.

Twilight swallows hard, scanning the room around her, seeing one of them at a control station. "Will we be okay?"

Greg stands up. "You have nothing to worry about, Twilight. It's me they're after, remember?"

Another of the aliens enters the room. The two others stiffen up. It must be a soldier, since it doesn't have a gem in its hand.

"You are the human from Ceres, aren't you?" The masculine sounding psychic voice said directly to Greg, who nods. "You were the one who destroyed Ziabok's science vessel."

Greg slowly nods. "Yes, sir." He says. "I was blinded with rage at the time and had no idea about 'Project Storm'. None of us did."

Twilight looks up to Greg. "What is he saying?"

The alien shakes his head. "Ziabok was wise, but sometimes he had a hard time letting others in on his plans." He says. "It's a tragedy we lost him like that. What do you know of the project?"

Greg, his eyes still focused in front of him, lets out a sigh. "It's an effort to save the Galtran race." He answers. "You needed compatible DNA from two different species to begin building a cure for them."

The alien looks over to Twilight, then back at Greg. "How long have you been away from your kind?" He asks.

Twilight swallows hard. "Greg... what are you two talking about?"

"Best guess... eighteen months." Greg says, forcing back a tear. "Your friend Ziabok did find those DNA chains." He continues.

Hearing this surprised the alien. "Where are these compatible races?" He asks.

Greg looks directly into the alien's eyes. "They're standing right in front of you."

If he had a mouth, he'd be grinning like an idiot, but he looks over to Twilight. "Forgive me for not including you in the conversation." He says to her before looking back to Greg, this time extending the psychic connection to Twilight as well. "Would you two mind allowing us to take a sample of your respective DNA?" He asks.

Twilight looked mortified. "Wait, what?!"

Greg looks over to Twilight and chuckles. "It's okay, Twilight, they just want to draw some of our blood." He explains. "It'll be quick and painless." He adds.

Greg and Twilight follow the alien captain to the medical bay. Greg was quite familiar with this place as he hops onto a table. The medic uses its gem to lift Twilight onto another table, quietly shrieking the whole time.

"Who goes first?" Twilight asks.

"I will." Greg answers, rolling up a sleeve.

Twilight watches as the medic approaches Greg with what looks like a syringe, drawing a vial of his blood. She looks at Greg who returns her look with a wink.

Greg looks to the captain. "So what are you guys going to do with me...?" He asks. "Am I going to be tried for murder?"

The captain shakes his head. "No, don't even think that." He says, surprising Greg. "I went over it with my superiors and you have two choices: We take you back to your world so you can your friends and family again, or we leave you on this world. Either way, you will never see us again."

Twilight, who just had a sample of her blood taken, looks over to Greg, who had been accepted in Equestria faster than either of them imagined. "If you go, we'll never see you again."

Greg nods. "If I stay here, I'll never see my own kind again." He says.

"It's a double edged sword." The captain adds. "But ultimately it is your decision, Greg."

Greg takes a few moments to make the decision, glancing back and forth between Twilight and the ship's captain. Finally, he shakes his head. "I'd like to go home." He says. "I need to let my friends and family know that I'm alright." He continues, looking at a downtrodden Twilight.

The decision was made. Greg, Twilight and the captain return to the transport room. Twilight stands on one of the pads after giving Greg a hug. "Everypony is going to miss you." She says.

The two separate and Greg wipes a tear from her eye. "I know." He says. "If and when I can find a way to return, don't think that I won't."

Twilight finds herself back in the library, as witnessed by a slack-jawed Spike.

"Oh Greg..." She says quietly to herself.

Spike picks up a broom he dropped. "What's going on, Twi? Where is he?"

Twilight shakes her head. "He's going back home."

Spike scratches his head. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Twilight trots to the door. "Yeah, but I gotta let Applejack and the others know."

Spike lets out a low groan. "That's right. She had a thing for him, didn't she?"

Twilight giggles. "Yeah, like you for Rarity. Only she's more subtle."

As Twilight exits the library, Spike remembers that Greg left her a letter. "Twi!" He yells, picking the letter up off the table and chasing after her.

Twilight teleports herself to Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Bloom gallops toward her. "Mornin' Twilight!" The filly greets, galloping past her.

Twilight teleports Apple Bloom in front of her. "I'm sorry about that, Apple Bloom, but could you get AJ and Mac?"

Apple Bloom falls onto her haunches and looks up at the Unicorn. "Twi? What's wrong?" She asks.

"Bring your brother and sister here, I want them to hear this."

Apple Bloom brought AJ and Mac to the barn where Twilight was waiting.

"What's goin' on, Twilight?" AJ asks.

"Greg is on his way home." Twilight says plainly.

"What?!" AJ asks, stomping her hoof on the ground. "And he didn't bother to say good bye?!"

Twilight hangs her head. "I know. It happened so suddenly and I think they were in a hurry."

Apple Bloom's eyes start welling up. "That's not fair!"

Twilight looks upward. "Life sometimes isn't fair, Apple Bloom..."

Applejack digs at the ground with her hoof. "Think we'll ever see him again?"

Twilight shakes her head. "There was something he said to me, 'hope for the best, expect the worst'." She says before a smile creeps onto her face. "He also said that should he leave, he'd want us to go on with our lives."

Big Macintosh nods. "Yup."

AJ looks over to her brother, first angrily, then calmly. "Then we will."

Apple Bloom trots away from the three. "Ah'm gonna look for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and tell them about this."

Twilight nods. "Go ahead. I've got a lot of ponies to inform." She says, looking up once more. "Good luck, Greg!"

Author's Note

Thank you for reading this story. Make sure you check out my other stories here as well as my original stories on Deviant Art.

PDF Download